Category Archives: Podcasts

How do you get and keep a man? Hell if Kait knows, even after reading Having It All by Helen Gurley Brown. Once again, Kait has gathered some queer friends to see if Helen Gurley Brown’s worldview falls apart if you are not a heterosexual, cisgender woman. (Spoiler alert: It does!) Join Kait, Wren (of Ready to Roll), and Laura as they explore whether bisexual people exist (Spoiler alert: They do!), what the best “thanks for the sex!” gift is (brass lion all the way), and how much to tip on dates (less than the price of whatever outmoded status symbol you gift to your date at the start).

Have you been wondering what Chris Colfer has been up to since Glee? Are you ready to read some self-insert celebrity real person fanfiction written by an actual celebrity? Honestly, you’re probably not, and we weren’t either, but we were happy to have Cory along for the ride with us as we read Stranger than Fanfiction by Chris Colfer. Have this podcast queued up to fill the awkward silence the next time you take a roadtrip with your best friends who don’t actually know anything about you!

* Worst Bestsellersis a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

(But no pressure, we’re also happy if you get these items from your local library or independent bookstore.)

Did you ever read a science fiction book and think, “I wish I knew more about these characters’ bathroom usage?” If so, Red Rising by Pierce Brown is the book for you! Children’s librarian Anna (@opinionsbyanna) joined us for this miserable slog through a Martian Hunger Games with no carbs and no bathroom breaks. Listen now to find out into which Hogwarts House each Martian House would be sorted!

Content warning: This book and our discussion of it contains sexual assault, war, and general unpleasantness.

* Worst Bestsellersis a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

(But no pressure, we’re also happy if you get these items from your local library or independent bookstore.)

Happy Halloween! We faced the scariest thing imaginable for a bad books podcast: a video game tie-in novel that turned out to be actually like, really good? We know: we were shocked too. Almost as shocked as the teen protagonists of Five Nights at Freddy’s: The Silver Eyes by Kira Breed-Wrisley and Scott Cawthon were to discover all the horrors awaiting them at Freddy Fazbear’s Funtime Pizza. Rebecca Mahoney of The Bridge podcast joined us for one night of terror. Do not listen to this podcast on your overnight security guard shift: you need to keep your senses alert!

Content warning: This book and our discussion of it contains the death of a child, suicide, and some very scary animatronics.

* Worst Bestsellersis a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

(But no pressure, we’re also happy if you get these items from your local library or independent bookstore.)

Out of the attic and into the rocking chair, we were joined by Sophie of Two Bossy Dames to read My Sweet Audrina by V. C. Andrews. We were grudgingly impressed by how effectively Andrews gaslit us, the readers, because by the end of this book we had no idea which end was up anymore. Play this episode at your next tea party/seance!

Content warning: This book and our discussion of it contains sexual assault, physical & emotional abuse of a child, ableism, gaslighting, miscarriage, and pretty much any other upsetting topic you could imagine.

* Worst Bestsellersis a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

(But no pressure, we’re also happy if you get these items from your local library or independent bookstore.)

It’s our 4th anniversary! Traditionally, we’ve read a new book from the Twilight saga each year to celebrate our anniversary. But last year, we finished the saga, so this year we decided to create our own Twilight adventure. Danielle (of Hello World Tarot) ran a Twilight-themed D&D (5th edition) adventure for Kait, Renata, and Amy (of WTF Is America?). Listen now to hear what happens when a dwarf, a half-elf, and a dark elf walk into a Steaks & Cakes in Forks, Washington and roll for initiative. Please accept 20 points of gratitude for listening to us for all these years!

* Worst Bestsellersis a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

(But no pressure, we’re also happy if you get these items from your local library or independent bookstore.)

* Worst Bestsellersis a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

(But no pressure, we’re also happy if you get these items from your local library or independent bookstore.)

As the sun goes down on this year’s Flashback Summer, we pay a visit to Sunset Island by Cherie Bennet. We’re joined by Denise (@DezDono), editor of the Gailsone series and one of the few people who remembers this 90s Sweet Valley High knockoff series. Listen now to hear about the lifestyles of a secretly rich babysitter and her horny middle-class friends!

* Worst Bestsellersis a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

(But no pressure, we’re also happy if you get these items from your local library or independent bookstore.)

If you’d like to continue with Flashback Summer, turn to page 2 for Kait, Renata, and Becca’s discussion of House of Danger by R.A. Montgomery. If you’re curious about the Choose Your Own Adventure franchise’s crossover into board game territory, roll a die. If you’re curious about how a single dangerous house can contain aliens, ghosts, carnivorous plants, and counterfeiting chimpanzees, listen to this episode now.

* Worst Bestsellersis a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

(But no pressure, we’re also happy if you get these items from your local library or independent bookstore.)

Flashback Summer gathered around the campfire to read Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz & Stephen Gammell with our editor Becca. Put your hand in a bowl of peeled grapes and listen to hear how deeply upsetting Renata finds the formative stories of Kait’s childhood. Remember: the best way to make sure your friends know that you’re telling them a scary story is to end it with a scream!

* Worst Bestsellersis a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

(But no pressure, we’re also happy if you get these items from your local library or independent bookstore.)